March 6, 2009
IOWA CITY, IA – The 23rd-ranked University of Iowa women’s gymnastics team was near-flawless Friday night, dropping No. 24 Kentucky, 196.525 – 194.875, inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) competitors scored higher than a 9.65 on 23 of 24 attempts en route to their highest point total of the season. The GymHawks have won four of their last five dual meets and is 7-2 against ranked opponents this season.
Iowa finished swept the all-around Friday night, led by senior Jenifer Simbhudas (39.525), who finished first. Her sister, sophomore Rebecca Simbhudas (39.400) finished second while Houry Gebeshian finished third (39.175).
“I think we were poised to break out like this tonight,” said Head Coach Larissa Libby. “It was a good mental hurdle to get over. We didn’t care about the scores or the mental errors we’ve made in the past. It was a great night overall for us. We are so pleased for the seniors, the leadership they’ve shown and it culminated tonight.”
Iowa started the dual meet on vault and put up solid performances for the second week in a row. Last week against Maryland, the GymHawks scored a team season-high of 49.225 on the event, and followed up with a 49.100 score Friday. J.Simbhudas scored a 9.900 for the second week in a row to lead Iowa. Freshman Annie Szatkowski received a mark of 9.825, while R. Simbhudas and freshman Rachel Corcoran both got identical 9.800 scores. Sophomores Arielle Sucich (9.750) and Gebeshian (9.700) rounded out the vault scores for Iowa.
The GymHawks led 98.325 – 97.050 after two rotations, scoring a 49.225 on uneven bars, a team season-high. Five competitors scored a 9.8 or higher, led by senior Brandi Loffer, who scored a career-high 9.9 in the final home meet of her career. Iowa’s sophomores continued their strong seasons on the event, including R. Simbhudas (9.875), Gebeshian (9.825) and Sucich (9.8). J. Simbhudas also received a 9.825.
Iowa’s three-headed scoring attack shined on balance beam during the third rotation, helping the GymHawks extend their lead. J. Simbhudas (9.875), R. Simbhudas (9.850) and Gebeshian (9.825) were 1-2-3 for Iowa with junior Andrea Hurlburt (9.775), Hansen (9.700) and Loffer (9.650) also coming in with strong performances.
The GymHawks wrapped up the competition on floor, putting Kentucky away with 49.175. The Simbhudas’ sisters finished 1-2 on floor, with Jenifer scoring a 9.925 and Rebecca scoring a 9.875. Gebeshian finished in sixth place with a 9.825.
The GymHawks close the regular season out next weekend at Big Ten rival Minnesota. Meet time is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Big Ten Championships will take place Saturday March 21 on the campus of the University of Illinois.
Final Team ScoresPlace Team Vault Bars Beam Floor Total1. Iowa 49.100 49.225 49.025 49.175 196.5252. Kentucky 49.050 48.000 48.625 49.150 194.825
Individual Results (Winner + Iowa)VaultT1. Jasmine Minion (UK) 9.900T1. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.900T3. Annie Szatkowski (IOWA) 9.850T5. Rachel Corcoran (IOWA) 9.800T5. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.800T9. Arielle Sucich (IOWA) 9.75012. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 9.700="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
Uneven Bars1. Brandi Loffer (IOWA) 9.9002. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.875T4. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 9.825T4. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.825T6. Arielle Sucich (IOWA) 9.80010. Jessa Hansen (IOWA) 9.300
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Balance Beam1. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.875T2. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.8504. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 9.825T5. Andrea Hurlburt (IOWA) 9.7758. Jessa Hansen (IOWA) 9.7009. Brandi Loffer (IOWA) 9.650="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
Floor Exercise1. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.925T2. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 9.8756. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 9.825T7. Jenny Donar (IOWA) 9.775T7. Arielle Sucich (IOWA) 9.77511. Jessa Hansen (IOWA) 9.725="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>
All-Around1. Jenifer Simbhudas (IOWA) 39.5252. Rebecca Simbhudas (IOWA) 39.4003. Houry Gebeshian (IOWA) 39.175="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/ahref="http:>="https://hawkeyesports.com/http:%3E%3C/pre%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3C/p%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cp%3E%3Cimg%20src="/images/2016/6/1//thhh.jpg" width="180" height="62" class="imported">